The timing of Easter has proved key to an apparent upturn in food sales as the retail industry reported a 2.3 per cent drop in sales.
Food sales fell back, largely due to the timing of Easter, according to the latest industry data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
It revealed a partial unwinding of the 4.4 per cent like-for-like improvement seen a month earlier, when sales were boosted by the inclusion of most of the Easter holiday.
The three-month average showed like-for-like sales up by 1.6 per cent on a year earlier and by 3.8 per cent overall.
BRC director general Stephen Robertson said: "There's no question customers are more willing to spend than 12 months ago, but still nervous.
"People need to know how a new government's moves to tackle the deficit will affect their incomes and jobs. Even if the measures are tough, knowing what they are could be better than the current uncertainty.
“Both food and non-food sales growth slipped back this April because people had already done their Easter spending in the previous month. The three-month average irons out the Easter distortions. It shows total sales up 3.8 per cent this year compared with 2.2 per cent in the same three months in 2009.”
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD, said: "Last month, grocery retail benefited from the early Easter and therefore slower growth in April is to be expected. Low food inflation, coupled with heavy promotional activity, also affected performance. Food inflation in April 2010 was significantly lower than in April 2009, making sales growth more difficult.
"Economic recovery continued in the first quarter but, with the media agenda dominated by the election and debates over economic management, shoppers remained cautious. IGD research shows that 54 per cent of shoppers expect to be more careful about their food shopping in the future.”
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